Joannie Rochette ready to go for Olympic gold

A nice interview with Joannie. She is currently training with her good friend, Jeff Buttle and she seems very upbeat and optimistic. She also mentions that she is no longer with her boyfriend and I bet that had something to do with her poor performances in the fall. It is nice to hear that they are both still supporting each other though! GO JOANNIE!

But most of the time, I was really enjoying myself and enjoying the competition itself, and that's the kind of feeling I want to have at the Vancouver Olympics

If Joannie can put that ahead of everything esle, I think she'll do great. She has what it takes, the girl just has to relax and savour the moment and let that 'muscle memory' take over. Good lcuk to her! Like any good Canadian, I'll be on pins and needles when she skates, especially in the short.

Wow the journalist asks so much about pressures! Joannie sounds very mature, definitely different from her teenage rivals.

I always hate when age is brought on because of all the talks about little girl jumping beans etc. I think both Yu-na and Asada have very mature skating styles, and I think both have had to deal with ridiculous amounts of pressure from young ages.

Honestly with a strict technical caller like I hear this one is that could be advantage Rochette because Kim, Asada, Miki are all relying on skills that could be downgraded... Just a thought.

I always hate when age is brought on because of all the talks about little girl jumping beans etc. I think both Yu-na and Asada have very mature skating styles, and I think both have had to deal with ridiculous amounts of pressure from young ages.

Honestly with a strict technical caller like I hear this one is that could be advantage Rochette because Kim, Asada, Miki are all relying on skills that could be downgraded... Just a thought.

ITA with Bennett, not to mention that the original post was talking about Joannie's maturity in the interview, not on ice.

In general, I agree that Yuna/Mao/Miki aren't given enough credit (in discussions, not in judging) for their presentation, but I'll have to take Bennett's side on this one...

"There are maybe five or six of us who could be on the podium. It's strong competition, but I've beaten each of those girls in various competitions "
I think the one and only time she beat Yu-na was at Yu-na's first senior competition: 2006 Skate Canada. But last season, she beat Mao several times (TEB, 4CC, WC) and beat Miki (GPF, WC). Those three are her toughest competitors. She's right. People considered her an underdog because of her poor showings in this year's GP circuit, but she always gets better as the season progresses. In November, we were jumping to hasty conclusions (e.g. Mao), but she's definitely an OGM contender, along with the aforementioned three. She's also one of the few skaters who can pull off 7-triple programs, and she's skating in Canada (which often boosts her confidence). She will probably amaze us in Vancouver. I wish her the best of luck

I think it will all come down to what happens on that particular day. The Olympics is a competition that happens once every four years, but in fact, it's going to happen on Feb. 25 and the results could be different any other day. I just want to really use the Canadian crowd to support me and to enjoy myself out there.

She has the point. Every top contender has very good chances. Yes, perhaps Yuna is ahead of all, but Mao, Miki, and Rochette are also close. They also cannot be fully in control of what happens to them on that day. Yes, they try their best to control their chances and try to make it happen. At the same time, I think that it is good to acknowledge that she is not capable of controlling her outcome for 100%. Even in practices, nobody has 100% success rates; but that doesn't mean that they cannot do it.